Cooking from Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad by Alexandra Stafford

[blue_dolphin]

I just shared this review of Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) by Alexandra Stafford over in the Cookbooks forum and thought I’d start a topic here to share actual cooking from the book. 
 

The first pizza I made from the book was this Sicilian-Style Veggie-Loaded Pizza  made with the Pan Pizza Dough. 
I mixed up a half batch of the dough and used a quarter-sheet pan instead of a half-sheet.  I used whole grain bread flour from Cairnspring Mills. This is a very wet, 90% hydration dough and I need to use flour my hands and the counter to shape it into a ball before going into the fridge overnight but after that, it’s just shaped in the pan.
I don’t love a lot of tomato sauce on this style of veg pizza so I opened a can of cherry tomatoes and spooned some on.  Otherwise, I used the recipe toppings of mushrooms, bell pepper, red onion, pepperoncini and Kalamata olives.  Baked in my regular indoor electric oven with a pizza steel. 

[blue_dolphin]

Two recipes based on favorites from Bar in New Haven, CT: Mashed Potato and Bacon Pizza made with the Thin-Crust Pizza Dough, served with Bar’s Mixed Green Salad with Candied Pecans, Blue Cheese, and Pear with the Red Wine Vinaigrette. 

 

I loved the contrast of the thin, crisp crust with dollops of soft mashed potatoes (made with Yukon golds and buttermilk) crunchy, salty bacon and chewy mozzarella. The salad also offers lots of texture and flavor contrasts.  I made this a while ago and it’s really a perfect fall salad with the juicy, ripe pear, tangy vinaigrette and funky blue cheese with lots of fresh greens and would complement almost any meal. 
This was the first recipe I made with frozen dough. Per the instructions in the book (hidden in the appendix on p 248) I moved it to the fridge the night before and then proceeded as usual, letting it sit out at room temp before shaping. 

[blue_dolphin]

Broccoli Rabe and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza p 135 made with the Neopolitanish dough p 22 and Roasted Tomato “Butter” p 36 served with the Farm Share Harvest Slaw 136 made with Apple Cider Vinaigrette p 136

I’ve never used smoked mozzarella but happened to spot some at Sprouts the other day so I decided to try this pizza. I thought it was OK, not great.  I liked the sweet, roasted cherry tomato sauce with the bitter greens but I didn’t really love the flavor of the smoked mozzarella.  Maybe half smoked, half regular mozz would have been more to my taste?  One recipe oddity is that it calls for 8 oz of broccoli rabe and it’s not until it’s cooked and you’re topping the pizza that you’re told to put half of the cooked greens on the pizza and put the rest in the fridge or freezer.  Why not just call for 4 oz?  Whatever. 

In my review of the book, I said it encouraged me to have a big salad and small piece of pizza.  Here's an example:

 

The slaw has radishes, turnips, carrots, cabbage and scallions and is the official partner for the broccoli rabe & smoked mozzarella pizza. It’s a good pairing. On its own, it’s not amazingly interesting, but there’s plenty of crunch and color so it it’s a good no-mayo side or sandwich filler.

 

Edited July 3 by blue_dolphin
Forgot salad (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Caramelized Leek and Potato Pizza with Chive Cream p 113 made with the Thin-Crust dough p 26
Shaved Fennel Salad with Parmesan and Pomegranate p 182 made with the Lemon Vinaigrette p 37
I’m calling this chip & dip pizza.  It’s really a great combo of textures and flavors. With the cracker-thin crust, this one would fit right in to an appetizer spread for wine o’clock.

 

The crisp and simple salad, dressed with the lemon vinaigrette was a good partner with bonus points for being pretty!  As the header notes suggest, this is a perfect pizza-palate cleanser! 

I don’t usually comment on portion sizes and don’t expect a cookbook author to know who’s eating at my house and how hungry or picky they might be but two and a half pounds of fennel is a LOT for 4 servings.  Use your best judgment!

[blue_dolphin]

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford: Breakfast Pizza with Sausage, Eggs and Pickled Banana Peppers p 223 made with the Neopolitanish Dough p 223 
Raw Snap Pea Salad with Radishes and Mint p 196 dressed with the Lemon Vinaigrette p 37

With a hot Italian sausage, pickled peppers and plenty of cheese, (all of which the header notes encourage adapting to taste) I wouldn’t restrict this to breakfast alone.  The egg layer is pretty thin but melds everything together nicely. On its own, I’d find it on the heavy side but accompanied by a big salad, it was just the ticket.

The book pairs this pizza with a raw asparagus salad but I knew I wanted something bright and crunchy and had everything on hand for this one, including the lemon vinaigrette - it’s called for in at least 8 salads in the book - and I was not disappointed.  

What a great, simple salad! Not sure I’ve eaten a salad with this much mint but it really worked.
 

[Duvel]

27 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

It’s really a great combo of textures and flavors. With the cracker-thin crust, this one would fit right in to an appetizer spread for wine o’clock.

Nice ! It does sound like a classic winning combo. I could imagine some leek oil in there, too. With the cracker-like crust it sounds a bit like an (unleavened) Flammkuchen, and potato & leek fits right into this. For white pizza’s I fell a more sturdy, sourdough bread type base is better suited, especially with potatoes. But then the appetizer idea is gone, of course …

[blue_dolphin]

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford: Sautéed Radicchio Pizza with Fig Jam and Gorgonzola p 151 made with the Thin-Crust dough p 26
Baby Kale Salad with Ribbony Carrots, Dates and Sunflower Seeds dressed with the Apple Cider Vinaigrette p 37
The pizza isn’t a looker with the browned, purplish radicchio and bluish melted Gorgonzola atop a smear of crème fraîche and brown fig jam, topped with a brown balsamic drizzle but it’s delicious and another one of the thin-crust pizzas that are well suited to the appetizer category.

For those who like to try multiple toppings, I can say that splitting the thin-crust dough balls in half (~120g instead of 245g), rolling out 9” pizzas (instead of 13”, I did the geometry 101 calculation 🙃) and using half portions of the toppings works quite well.  

I really enjoyed the salad as well.  It calls for a fat carrot and they can be less than tender so I gave the carrot ribbons and radish slices a nice soak in ice water to crisp them up and recommend that if you have time.  Loved the sweet date pieces, tangy goat cheese and nutty sunflower seeds.

[blue_dolphin]

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford: Blistered Shishito Pizza with Onions and Monterey Jack p 72 made with the Neopolitanish dough p 22 paired with the Equites Inspired Street Corn Salad p 74
Both pizza and salad are pretty simple so it’s very easy to make the salad and prep the toppings while the dough is warming up and the oven is heating for the pizza. I used mascarpone instead of sour cream and a mix of mozz and manchego instead of Monterey Jack based on my fridge contents. The dough preferred to be more oval than round so I let it be the boss. I added a sprinkle of Parm when reheating leftovers and it was an excellent addition that I’ll remember for next time. 

I cheated on the salad with Trader Joe’s fire roasted frozen corn instead of cutting it off the cob. No complaints from me on that time-saving switch. I used a sprinkle of Rancho Gordo’s Stardust chile dipping powder (like Tajin) in place of the salt, chile powder and final squeeze of lime juice. This is an excellent salad. I’m tempted to add black beans and call it a meal!

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford:  Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Gruyère and Rosemary p 106 made with the Neopolitanish dough p 22; served with the Market Salad with Greens, Radicchio, Fennel, and Hazelnuts p 220 dressed with the Mimosa Vinaigrette p 40
This pizza, on its own, is nice though not particularly more-ish for me but it did a great job turning a big bowl of salad into a meal.
For the pizza, I used whole grain bread flour from Cairnspring Mills, honeynut squash instead of butternut and Jarlsberg cheese instead of Gruyère.  The crust has a nice chew, the cheese is nutty, the squash is soft and sweet and the rosemary/chile/garlic infused olive oil is a nice touch but it needs some tang and crunch.  

That’s where the salad comes to the rescue.  This isn’t the salad partner given in the book, but I had everything on hand and the fennel and hazelnuts offered the crunch I wanted so I stole this salad from another pizza 🙃 I followed Naomi Pomeroy's recommendation from Taste & Technique to give the radicchio an ice water bath for crispness and to reduce bitterness.  I thought this was a perfect pairing.  

 

When it came around to leftovers, I went ahead with Classic Kale Salad with Pepper Flakes, Parmesan and Lemon Vinaigrette p 108 that is the official partner for the pizza,
Kale salads always make me feel like I’m eating out in the pasture 🙃 and this one did, too.  The lemon vinaigrette is bright and fresh and the lemon zest, Parm and chile flakes add flavor and contrast nicely with the pizza but the texture of the salad is too one-note to hold my interest through a big bowl.  After a few bites, I tossed in a few figs and a handful of toasted hazelnuts and happily chewed away on my bale of kale!

[MaryIsobel]

10 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford:  Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Gruyère and Rosemary p 106 made with the Neopolitanish dough p 22; served with the Market Salad with Greens, Radicchio, Fennel, and Hazelnuts p 220 dressed with the Mimosa Vinaigrette p 40
This pizza, on its own, is nice though not particularly more-ish for me but it did a great job turning a big bowl of salad into a meal.
For the pizza, I used whole grain bread flour from Cairnspring Mills, honeynut squash instead of butternut and Jarlsberg cheese instead of Gruyère.  The crust has a nice chew, the cheese is nutty, the squash is soft and sweet and the rosemary/chile/garlic infused olive oil is a nice touch but it needs some tang and crunch.  

That’s where the salad comes to the rescue.  This isn’t the salad partner given in the book, but I had everything on hand and the fennel and hazelnuts offered the crunch I wanted so I stole this salad from another pizza 🙃 I followed Naomi Pomeroy's recommendation from Taste & Technique to give the radicchio an ice water bath for crispness and to reduce bitterness.  I thought this was a perfect pairing.  

 

When it came around to leftovers, I went ahead with Classic Kale Salad with Pepper Flakes, Parmesan and Lemon Vinaigrette p 108 that is the official partner for the pizza,
Kale salads always make me feel like I’m eating out in the pasture 🙃 and this one did, too.  The lemon vinaigrette is bright and fresh and the lemon zest, Parm and chile flakes add flavor and contrast nicely with the pizza but the texture of the salad is too one-note to hold my interest through a big bowl.  After a few bites, I tossed in a few figs and a handful of toasted hazelnuts and happily chewed away on my bale of kale!

I feel the same about kale - I really tried to like it but it is just too "grass-ish" for me no matter how finely I chiffonade it or massage it - still tastes like lawn clippings to me!

[blue_dolphin]

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford: White Pizza with Arugula, Pistachios, and Honey p 204 made with the Neopolitanish dough p 22 served with Cherry Tomato and Cherry Salad with Feta and Jalapeños p 81

I liked this pizza a lot. It’s got a very thin layer (2T) of whipped heavy cream, grated Parm and Camembert. After it comes out of the oven, it gets drizzled with honey (I used Mike's Hot Honey), sprinkled with chopped pistachios and a pile of arugula dressed with olive oil and salt.

 

The salad was interesting. I really liked the cherry, jalapeño and lime juice combo. The feta was fine but the cherry tomatoes, which are nice on their own, are overpowered by the other ingredients and taste bland in comparison.  The cilantro was OK but I’d prefer mint here.  

 

[weinoo]

I gotta side-eye some of the things called pizza in that book.

Edited July 6 by weinoo (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford: Kale pizza with sizzling scallions and crème fraîche p 211 on the Neapolitanish dough p 22 served with the Arugula salad with prosciutto and Parmesan p 202 dressed with Lemon vinaigrette p 37.

This is supposed to go on the thin crust but I had a ball of Neopolitanish dough handy so I used that.

The pizza dough gets a thin schmear of crème fraîche (I used homemade ricotta thinned with a bit of buttermilk) a sprinkle of Parm and a pile of kale (lacinato was specified, I used baby kale) before going into the oven, after baking, a sizzling scallion oil is spooned over the top. I had red scallions which I figured would look pretty. 

Since the pizza has minimal cheese and no meat, I figured this salad would be a good fit though it’s not the official partner. The book says to layer the prosciutto on the plate and pile the dressed greens in top but I’d rather not need a knife to eat it so I cut up the prosciutto and tossed it in. 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford: Roasted artichoke pizza with Castelvetrano olives, lemon, and ricotta p 201 on the Neopolitanish dough p 22 served with the Swiss chard salad with hazelnuts and cherries p 88, dressed with Lemon vinaigrette p 37. 
 

This pizza is the one that's supposed to go with the arugula, prosciutto & Parm salad I posted just above and they would combine for a nice antipasto platter vibe.  
The artichokes get drizzled with olive oil and roasted before tossing with olives (I used the lemon stuffed Chalkidiki) olives from TJ's instead of Castelvetranos) garlic, lemon zest, pepper flakes and a little more olive oil. They’d be a nice addition to an antipasto spread on their own.  The dough gets a few oz of mozzarella pieces, then the artichokes, before baking, whipped ricotta is dolloped on after that.

The artichokes may have gotten a bit dark but didn’t taste burnt.  I may have been a bit over generous with the ricotta but I wanted a little in every bite!

 

The farmers market cherries I got were really spectacular so I wanted to use them in another salad.  I used baby kale instead of Swiss chard as it what I had on hand and I thought it worked fine. 

[blue_dolphin]

Here’s the Raw corn salad with cherry tomatoes and edamame from Pizza Night p 98. 
I used fava beans instead of edamame. Nice, fresh summer salad with avocado and feta adding some richness. No need to make a dressing, just toss with a squeeze of lime juice and drizzle of olive oil. Nice, fresh summer salad. 
I had it with a slice of the baby kale and sizzling scallion pizza I posted yesterday.

The book pairs this salad with the Puttanesca pan pizza with tomatoes, onions, anchovies, and olives that I posted over in the Dinner topic before I started this one. 
I’ll add it again here for completeness. 

As usual, I made a half recipe in a quarter sheet pan.  This pizza starts with mozzarella, topped with a layer of caramelized onions, then an anchovy and garlic paste, capers, olives and cherry tomatoes.  I like that the anchovy paste distributes that flavor across the pizza vs whole anchovies.  
 

I’d pair that pizza with a green salad rather than the corn.

[blue_dolphin]

Two other “pizzas” from the book that I have posted in other topics are basically stuff piled on a pre-baked pan pizza dough. They’re both good, but I wouldn’t call them pizza.  @weinoo should avert his side eyes 👀 from these for sure!

 

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pizza for a Crowd p 199.

This is a pan pizza crust, topped with Everything But The Bagel seasoning and baked, with the toppings (chive cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onion and dill) added post-bake. Since it’s written for a half sheet pan, it really would make enough for a crowd. I only made one piece and saved the rest for sandwiches. 
 

The Asparagus and Prosciutto Slab Pizza is also baked nekkid and topped afterwards. 

It’s topped with Camembert, shaved asparagus dressed with olive oil and salt and prosciutto. 

[weinoo]

32 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

This is a pan pizza crust, topped with Everything But The Bagel seasoning and baked, with the toppings (chive cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onion and dill) added post-bake. Since it’s written for a half sheet pan, it really would make enough for a crowd. I only made one piece and saved the rest for sandwiches. 
 

 

Oy vey.

 

But of course, as we all know, Wolfgang Puck was the originator of the smoked salmon pizza - at Spago - 43 years ago!

 

Quote

 

Every year, Hollywood A-Listers look forward to this dish at the annual Oscars Governors Ball. It’s been on the menu of the original Spago in Beverly Hills since 1982 when it was created, spawning copycat versions in restaurants and homes alike all around the world. Yes, we’re talking about Wolfgang Puck’s signature smoked salmon pizza.

 

 

https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/features/wolfgang-puck-smoked-salmon-pizza